Mass Effect 4 – Is It Needed?

With Mass Effect 4 being announced late last year, it begs the question whether another game is needed in the series after, what many say, was the disappointment that was Mass Effect 3. The story of Shepard is over, but it seems that the Mass Effect series is still going strong. Although Bioware claimed that the story of ME4 would be vastly different to its predecessors, it makes me wonder whether they should perhaps concentrate their efforts elsewhere. Bioware have always been known, well they used to be at least, for having good and deep stories for their RPGs but after Dragon Age 2 and ME3 I really wonder whether they’ve reached their pinnacle and it’s all downhill from here.

I won’t lie, I’m a Mass Effect fan-boy. I loved the first game, the universe intrigued me, Shepard was my hero and the mix between 3rd person shooter elements and RPG was a resounded success. After playing ME2 I wanted more, Shepard could do no wrong and I wanted to see him face the reapers head on. I pre-ordered ME3 within hours of it being announced and psyched myself up for the epic finale. When it was finally released I was prepared, my tea on one side and my scone on the other. The heating was cranked up, my room was ready to be transformed into the flight deck of the Normandy. A few hours in and my smile was reaching from ear to ear, the more I played the more I loved. Shepard was back, the universe was going to be saved. Bioware even threw in a few cheeky plot twists that had me doubting whether he would succeed but in the end he did. Although I was at first disappointed by the ending, it was more that it lacked any meat per se. I agreed with Bioware’s choice to have Shepard disappear/die, if he stayed alive there would be hope for a sequel, we’d want more. The extended cut sorted everything out for me though and I was happy. Sure I’ll still pop on for some cheeky multiplayer battles and maybe run another play through in a few months but Mass Effect was over.

I was already losing my trust in Bioware though, the sham that was Dragon Age 2 made me doubt their ability to put out a good sequel or even a new game series. Mass Effect 3 may have brought back some hope, but it alienated a lot of fans. You’ll always get people complaining about a game’s ending, but the sheer number of people that were disappointed with ME3 has rocked the foundation that is Bioware’s fan-base. When you mention Mass Effect to most gamers, they won’t think of the Asari race, they won’t think of the citadel, they won’t think about the reapers; they’ll think about Commander Shepard. The ME universe may be vast and although there’s a lot of lore and potential in it, it’s still nothing without Commander Shepard. Bioware have put everything on his shoulders, throughout all 3 games we’ve bonded with him. You’re not playing a Mass Effect game when you run through all 3 games, you’re playing a Commander Shepard game that happens to be in the Mass Effect universe.

An argument could possibly be made for an origin game, who is Shepard and what made him into the Commander, but a ME game with no Shepard? It seems ridiculous. Throw in the fact that Bioware is not only working on Dragon Age 3 but also trying to revive their on-line Star Wars game and I wonder whether they’ll put in enough effort into ME4 to keep the fans happy. Bioware has claimed that the story of ME4 would be in a “very, very different context”, it makes me wonder whether they should just concentrate on another game series entirely. It may be a very different story and have almost nothing in common with the other games, it may even have some new species but it seems like Bioware are just trying to ride on the wave of the ME series by releasing another game.

The whole point of being a game developer of course is took make a money and what better way than to keep an award-winning series alive. Infinity Ward and Activision have already shown us that a game doesn’t need to be any good or different than its predecessors, it can ride on the fame of the series. Is this what Bioware are going for or will they surprise us? Will Mass Effect 4 be a flop or will it create a new trilogy that will out-shine the first? I guess we’ll have to wait until 2014/2015 to see.

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Idris is a game review writer who prefers to grumble about the multitude of games he's has to sit through over the past few years. Whilst he does tend to enjoy things now and then, he prefers to be bitter and cynical and voice his hatred of all things EA and Call of Duty. To keep up to date with his grumblings and articles follow him on Twitter - @SarcasmAside

Discussion

23 Comments

Well I have only just played through Mass Effect 1 & 2 on the ps3 and am absolutely hooked on Mass Effect 3. My perspective I think may be different to the hardcore fans who wait patiently for each successive game to arrive .. I believe despite the complaints Mass Effect 3 from a gameplay experience is not only the best of the series but everything seems to have been perfected. The graphics, scale & sheer number of things to do are outstanding. I know I am lucky to be able to obtain the dlc episodes and play as part of the main playthrough – another good reason for delaying my arrival in the ME universe.

Mass Effect 4 ? Damn straight – I play a lot of games & to be blunt they do not get much better in terms of value, graphics & entertainment than ME3. So YES I want another one & YES Shepherd is a vital part of that – hell he died in ME2 at the beginning & was brought back from the Abyss so (I do not know the ending yet although I have my suspicions) YES give me more Sheperd and more sexy aliens and nasty aliens to fight. It does not have to be next gen with ME3 visuals even with framerate issues – who cares if he is on the same ship in the same galaxy – even Star Wars is getting another episode soon.

For me Mass Effect is such a great place to be in that there are hundreds of stories left to tell & I for one will be queuing up to buy any other Mass Effect games they produce if they are of the standard of ME3

I know I am not the only one who played the “red” ending, where you know who, isn’t dead. What I believe everyone is mad at, in my opinion is, no matter the ending, everyone ends up stranded without mass relays and a citadel. The game could do many things at this point, survival at it’s primal, chaos unchained, or it could do a prequel. The game has always given me the feeling of being alone, even when you’re surrounded by every race in the galaxy, you feel alone, and now that everything has concluded, you Shepard, are alone.

I agree with Eric here whole-heartedly. This is what annoyed me the most about the ending at first is that the mass relays were destroyed and everyone was stranded. However when they edited this in the extended cut and allowed the Reapers to help with the repairs if you went with the Control ending, I had to give points to Bioware for listening to the fans, although not a a lot of points.

I say no to ME4. A prequel would be fun but I mean theres so much lore and you kinda know what happens already. Besides how do you follow up a full scale reaper invasion. I just dont see it being successful. That being I’ll still most likely buy and hopefully be proven wrong

Sorry but this article is not good. you seem to contradict yourself, in the beginning claiming that Bioware can’t create good stories anymore, then proceeding to say you loved Mass Effect 3? ok. Here’s how i feel about this, i’m absolutely excited for another game. I would beg to differ about the claim that when people think of mass effect they think of commander shepard. I think what people (myself included) really love about this game is the lore, and the potential for it to get even better. I would love to see new planets, new enemies, new races, whatever. They have a giant universe and so much they could do with it.

I have to disagree. I think Mass Effect is a character driven story. Not just Shepard, but also those he had around him. I agree that the lore has potential, but if the characters are wrong, it will flop. Just search the internet & see how many threads are about ‘who’s your favourite character’, this question has been asked more then any other. That doesn’t mean there couldn’t be another ME game without these characters the majority of us have bonded with, Bioware need to be very careful. I think it’s valid to ask the question ‘can there be another ME game without Shepard?’ My answer would be, it’s possible, but difficult.

The Extended Cut was close, but no cigar for me. All I wanted out of that was a win in Refusal or a reunion in Destroy. The more I look at it, the more I dough I’m going to get ME4. I’m not going to buy anything Mass Effect related until we get the ending we payed for. Customer service still applies to games as much as any other company. If the customers aren’t happy, they aren’t going to want to come back for more. I thought money would out weigh artistic integrity. They would make a killing if they just do a little pandering to the fans! It wouldn’t hurt anyone! I hope Bioware had an ace up there sleeve’s that will change our minds. I grape at the straw that it might be Indoctrination. I look at the new for ME3 DLC or ME4 hoping that we’ll get something better than what we got. I ask the Bioware team of Twitter if we’ll get something better and I get nothing! I’ve cut them slack, and waited for them to redeem themselves. So far we got nothing but MP DLC’s that I don’t care about and two single player DLC’s that done matter to the over all story. Leviathan was a giant let down! And Omega had more bugs than an ant hill. I’m not seeing very much hope left. They’ve been dragging this out for way too long. If the next DLC(S) for ME3 suck, I’m not buying them or ME4. I know I’m not the only one who feels this way. Call me what you want, but I’m not buying from or supporting a company that turn it’s back on the fans. I’m not wasting time and money on a new hero after seeing what happened to Shepard. Shepard deserved better than what Bioware did. Hell, the fans have come up with better endings than they did. I haven’t bough or payed anything EA related after ME3 and I don’t see that changing. I might be very bitter still, but I’ve moved on to other game that don’t piss me off. If Bioware wants disgruntled fans to come back, they should know what to do. Until then, I’ll be paying other games.

If you like the EC, great. I didn’t think it was good enough. All I wanted was a win in Refusal or a reunion in destroy. Didn’t think I was asking for too much. If I wouldn’t buy DLC’s for ME3 because they wouldn’t affect the ending, why would I buy a prequel? Why would I want to play as a new hero if I thought Shepard got screwed over? I still grasp at the straw that it might be indoctrination to this day. They could make a killing and redeem them selves if they go with this or something like this. I though Money would out weigh Artistic Integrity. A little fan service wouldn’t hurt things at this point. Customer service still applies to them as much any it does every other company. If the customers aren’t happy they aren’t going to come back. I know that I’m not coming back until we get the ending we paid for. Damn right I’m bitter about it after sending almost $200 on Mass Effect trilogy and not get a good ending when the fans have been able to created better. I thought Bioware cared about the fans and lessened. Well I’m still waiting. Yet I’m not holding my breath. Even for the breathing scene at the end of destroy. I’m taking my money to other games that don’t piss me off. I hope Bioware does redeem themselves, but until them I’ll be sticking to Rock Star.

The mass effect series was fantastic. I enjoyed the endings, even though they were horribly depressing in some way or another. The bottom line is, bioware has created a universe and a style of game that could do wonders with further exploration. I realize the neurotic fanfolk that pollute the forums talk harshly about bw over their precious ending, but they made a great game, and I need more. The biggest issue is the fact that there were several endings. I believe that the best was to handle this would be to give different prologues to each character depending on me choices. The setting would be the same, of course. I’m sure this’d disappoint just about everyone, but I think if people can get over their whining, there are some pretty awesome options for a future title.

I don’t understand are complaining about, sure the extended ending was not perfect(the rest of the game was pretty close). Dragon Age 2 may of not been as grand of scale, but was top notch in overall story and game play. But why can’t they use this enormous universe they fleshed out for a new ME game? They don’t need Shepard, there are tons of stories out there, and space combat hasn’t been touched either. I do trust bioware, and a few hiccups won’t end a decade of solid games.

Great article, with some very good points. I would say that we didn’t just bond with Shepard, but with Garrus, Wrex & later on Legion. Tali was like a little sister to my Shepard. When Legion sacrificed himself for the rest of the Geth, it certainly brought a lump to my throat, so did speaking to Garrus just before the final push in London. These were characters with personalities & we loved. So I agree with the essense of what the author of this article says. Bioware need to tread very carefully. If they try to sell us a substandard product, so they can milk the ip, like Activision. It will backfire. I’ve got a feeling that all the negative feedback they’ve recieved over Dragon Age 2 & to ending of ME3, they’re not going to make the same mistake again. Surely Bioware aren’t that stupid.

I am really sorry, but this just makes me sick.
This actually remind me of “Prometheus”, how so many people missed many points in the movie, and immediately proceeded to bash it because they don’t have the brain capacity to understand it and answer the many questions they claim are left open.
Same with Mass Effect. Everyone took this way too personal, talking about “they promised, therefore they must deliver”. Nobody owes you a damn thing.
All of you are presenting yourselves as if your standards are so damn high that this game didn’t even come close to what you naturally expect.
So what if the endings all are similar at their core? Tragic and sad, yeah, but who the hell said that they must be happy ones? So because things didn’t go your fluffy way, you condemn the developers?
Even then, the Extended Cut provided a lot more closure and explanation, and I LOVED the whole experience of all three games including the ending. No game has ever had me so pinned and immersed in the story, running back for more, sympathizing with characters, and over-all “living” it.
Many also complain about something along the lines of: “the ending is just a bunch of filters to be chosen at the last moment, without the whole story actually affecting it.” If that is the case, then you are simply too ignorant to make the connection, or didn’t pay attention throughout it all to begin with. Less complex games would be better for you.
You are all bashing the game, talking crap about it for not living up to your expectations, and you are so busy nitpicking the hell out of it, rather than immersing yourself and understanding. There’s a reason why people who know the lore and back story well enough, weren’t disappointed and understood the endings perfectly without pointing fingers looking for scapegoats. Maybe Bioware didn’t think the audience is too brain-dead to piece a puzzle together.
Moreover, you miserably fail to keep an open mind about the bigger picture. You forget that they had to end this saga somehow, for one reason or another (Like starting a different story with ME4, for example), therefore making it all “happily ever after” simply wouldn’t work, and definitely would be anti-climactic. A tragic and dramatic ending is the least they could do to somehow match the magnitude of the storyline and put a worthwhile ending to it.
I can understand where most of you might be coming from, but the community is simply too negative… so much that people actually prefer to be as hating as possible about it before anything else, if not exclusively hating.

As for Mass Effect 4, definitely looking forward to it. However, I doubt that the attachment would be as strong to the story and the characters as it was with Shepard, the crew and the whole lore in general.

“They made promises, therefore they must deliver.” “They don’t owe you a damn thing.” I’m sorry? If my friend promises to get me into a totally awesome concert, I expect him to get me into a totally awesome concert. The problem with ME3’s ending (Not ME3, it was a fantastic game) was that it was disingenuous. It didn’t care what you did in the other games, it wanted you to chose your three endings. We didn’t care for a happy ending, we cared for an ending that had closure. Though the extended cut added more closure than the ending, it pulled a Firefly on us. It ENDED. It didn’t have the amount of closure the fans wanted, it just ENDED. It stopped. Even in the extended cut, you see the ships flying away in the destroy ending. The ships flying away were actually similar to the final episode of Firefly. Fans were PISSED. Of course they had to end it! But when you want to end an awesome series, end it in a bang! Check the actual Dark Energy ending, the ending actually given by the original writer of the Mass Effect series. Can you imagine if people got that decision? It was fantastically well thought out and written, and it got scrapped. Sure, people would have still been disappointed, but the majority would have been ecstatic.

We, the fans, the ones who had kept with it and had truly immersed ourselves in the universe, had promises. We had been promises, and they weren’t delivered. I have high hopes for Mass Effect 4, and I hope that the outrage over ME3’s ending whips the writers into shape. Hopefully, EA gives them the time and budget to fix the things that happened in ME3 (sometimes derpy custscences, map details, glitches). Peer review is a company’s greatest weapon. Again, I am looking forward to Mass Effect 4, because I’m sure that the outrage over ME3 will get the new writer’s feel for the universe.

I think the problem is that Mass Effect is turning more into a shooter instead of the RPG that we loved in ME1. The levels are linear and there is barely any exploration. All those side missions are on multiplayer and it really diminishes the value. They removed the door hacking mini-game and it really feels dumbed down and made a day one DLC, along with the many others that are story essential. , minus Omega. There is WAY too much auto-dialogue and the neutral option is gone. I miss the cutscenes that happened when you talked to your squadmates, but now it’s all way too simplified. The ending was bad since our choices really didn’t matter in the end and they put some major villain in the last 10 minutes of the game that made no logical sense. I know that the story had to end, but I still had a sour taste in my mouth after the extended cut. They tried to make the ending ambiguous, but they didn’t provide proper closure and the whole slide thing was lazy. Then they make the breath scene in destroy and it kinda created a canon. Personally, I think destroy is the proper ending because space magic doesn’t make sense, nor does a dictatorship. Bioware should listen to the fans and change the ending completely, instead of claiming artistic integrity. Bethesda didn’t have a problem and they are going to have a hard time with their fanbase if they make a fourth game without properly ending Shepard’s story. No fans means no business, so the fans should be the utmost priority.

For almost a year now people have been complaining about the ending, and the extended cut is just yet another alternate ending. They haven;t mentioned any fact of shepard being dead or the galaxy being perma-screwed with the mass relays gone. Not only the whole breath scene to show he lived (no clue how he did but breathing is an indication of living), the end scene after the credits with the old man talking to the child has them peering up at a night sky with 2 moons and stating it took place long ago and he’d tell one more story about shepard to the young boy. Since they are obviously in another system then inter-galactic travel has been brought back somehow. If bio-ware wants to bring back another game with shepard and throw at us some insane reason as to how he is alive, I’m all for it. They left plenty of things through out the endings to make it happen.